Allies and critics alike of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) have raised questions about the properties purchased by the leaders of BLM- Patrisse Cullors, Alicia Garza, and Melina Abdullah in California. They affirmed that the three had secretly purchased properties worth $6 million in the year 2020 in cash out of the money that was donated to the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation.
In October 2020, the foundation received total donations of $66.5 million during the protests after George Floyd’s death. Two weeks later, a man named Dyane Pascall bought a house and registered the document in his name. Pascall who is the financial manager for Janaya and Patrisse Consulting, a Limited Liability Company (LLC) run by Cullors and her spouse, further transferred the ownership of the house to an LLC established in Delaware by the law firm Perkins Coie.
The transaction was never recorded and the ultimate owner of the property was never disclosed. However, Cullors and other leaders of the organization had begun using the house for recording personal YouTube videos, staying overnight, and comforting themselves. They also looked after the maintenance of the property and paid for cleaning and security from their own pockets.
According to the reports, the house secretly purchased by three is more than 6,500 square feet and has half a dozen bedrooms and bathrooms, several fireplaces, a soundstage, a pool, and a bungalow. The real estate listings also mention that the property has parking for more than 20 cars.
The matter came to light when last year an article in the New York Post revealed that Cullors had purchased four homes worth $3 million in California and that there was a disturbing financial gap in the donations received by the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation. Cullors had then resigned from the position of the executive director of the foundation.
Somewhere around last year, the leaders had also organized a round table conference to mark the first anniversary of George Floyd’s murder. The three sat in the same expensive house and had recorded a video that they published on YouTube and later took it down. The three in the video were seen cornering the right-wing media machine and mentioned that they deliberately targeted the leaders, the movement, and the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation. After Cullors resigned, the leaders also said that the critics had instigated her to resign based on allegations of property purchase in California.
Meanwhile, none of the leaders acknowledged the purchase of this house. They said that the house which they internally call ‘campus’ was bought for the activities of the organization and that the house is part of the cultural arm of the organization. They also stated that the organization bought the Campus intending to provide dedicated space for Black creatives to launch content focused on abolition, healing, justice, activism, and politics.
However, the statement released by the organization in the case failed to mention that the house was bought for creative purposes and not for personal use. It also stated that the Foundation had always planned to disclose the legality of the house. Interestingly, the statement failed to explain if the house was purchased for creative purposes, then why little content has been produced in the last 17 months.
George Floyd Murder and violent BLM protests
On May 25 last year, a 46-year-old black man, George Floyd was murdered by a white police officer, Derek Chauvin, who knelt on the former’s neck for more than 8 minutes until his body became unresponsive. A shopkeeper had called the cops on Floyd for allegedly trying to pass a ‘potential counterfeit bill’. On being taken to the Hennepin County Medical Center, he was declared dead.
The incident provoked widespread protests, spearheaded by Black Lives Matter, and led to violent protests across several parts of the United States of America. The worst hit was Minneapolis, where the death of George Floyd took place. To pacify the situation, the cops resorted to firing tear gas and rubber bullets at the frenzied mob.
Many stores and boutiques were looted and destroyed by the violent rioters in various parts of the country. Windows of unmanned stores were broken. Home goods such as rugs and coffee makers were stolen and stores were set ablaze. The mob also breached the security and reached for the police precinct in the neighborhood where Floyd died. The building was set on fire by the unruly mob, amidst slogans demanding justice for the victim.
